Three Attributes of Cyclists - Ep 137

In this night time walking adventure I speak about the three characteristics a cyclist must have in order to express their highest potential as an athlete.

The episode is inspired by conversations with Jonathan Vaughters about what it takes to be good. His list included 1) Marathoner 2) F1 Driver. He has a video about this in our Team EF Coaching education portal. 

JV says you have to have a big engine, and be able to drive a bike. I agree, and I would offer a 3rd item to this list: 3D chess. 

Meaning: a cyclist can’t just corner like a maniac and drop watt bombs. They have to selectively, intelligently choose when to utilize their strength. This is what differentiates cycling from Marathon running or swimming events: cycling is a sport that is heavily influenced by the size of the athlete’s engine, but it is also influenced heavily by physics and terrain [read: mostly draft effect and hills] which change the weight of the variables that influence performance. 

My gripe with many modern coaches and athletes is that they over train the engine and neglect the other aspects. Even worse, they really only focus on one particular aspect of the engine. This makes you one dimensional and opens numerous possibilities for race day failure. 

These concepts don’t only apply to competitive elite or World Tour riders; they apply to all riders at every level. 

A bit of artwork is included to help you conceptualize these ideas as I am teaching them. 

Do you agree? Think I am wrong? Did I miss a major attribute? Comment and let the world know. 

LINKS: 

Team EF Coaching ►► https://www.teamefcoaching.com

Peter Defty Episode on YouTube ►► https://youtu.be/PrPdlT3apT8